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“One sentence is often all it takes to convey your truth. And each one of us has a sentence that we carry with us –whether it is a line from a novel, a verse of poetry, a song lyric, a personal mantra, words of wisdom from a loved one, or a simple string of words that bring you meaning. We take this “one true sentence” with us on our travels, drawing inspiration, motivation, and solace in times of trouble.” –Amanda Festa

On the first day of this year, an idea struck me and I couldn’t help myself but to start this idea. It kept roaring in my head until I took the leap. This idea was simple but I was afraid to start because I might drop it at the middle of the ocean. I punched fear in the face and get started.

What’s this idea? It’s to write one true sentence every day. A sentence that comes from the heart and it must be less or not more than 125 characters.

Does this sound crazy? Absolutely. Is this idea new and fresh? Of course, not. But we can revive old things to become new and that’s called creativity.

I can’t do this all alone. Good things always involve other people in order to make it happen. And that’s why I need your help to spread this idea across and beyond my reach.

This is what I’m doing…for each true sentence, I’m writing the story behind it and why it came to being.

This is my first one true sentence that I wrote on January 1st:

Blessed are those who act on their good intentions. #1truesentence

I have written more till date…and still writing

Why am I doing this? It’s because I believe one true sentence can make a difference. And, of course, behind every one true sentence, there are long stories filled with reality, inspiration, life-changing nuggets, and empathy.

What are you going to do?

Write one true sentence that comes from the heart and it should be less or not more than 125 characters. Get yourself a journal, scribble it on paper, or post it on Facebook or on Twitter. Don’t forget to add the hashtag #1truesentence and let the idea spread like a virus.

Are you in? If yes, then let’s do this together. Because it’s not books that change people, it’s those one true sentences in books that touch lives and change people. Yours, too, can make a difference.

I have been reading customer reviews on Amazon (both the books I’ve read and the ones I’d like to read). I don’t bother reading much about the 5 star reviews, because, of course, they’re awesome. So I moved to the 1 star reviews and read what people are saying. “This book is terrible,” a customer said. “Don’t waste your money and time,” another customer wrote. And many others like that.

Some people who are trying to be constructive wrote why they don’t like the book they’re giving 1 star review. What struck me most is that there are 1 star reviews for the books that I’d love to read again and again, the books that I’d recommend to friends and family because they’re good books. But for some people, they’re not good books. This really got me thinking about our endeavors in life (business, writing books, creative ideas, and whatnot) that many people will not like them. And that’s fine because our endeavors are not for everybody.

Those who give our works 1 star reviews don’t hate us. The only problem is that our ideas don’t resonate with them for one reason or the other. After all, your endeavor isn’t for everybody. Don’t let the comments, criticism of others stop you from doing your work. Your work doesn’t have to make sense for everybody, if it makes sense to you and a few people I think that’s enough. Change doesn’t start with a large crowd. It starts with an individual.

“And by the way, everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.” –Sylvia Plath

Is it a degree in Literature, English, or Creative writing? No. None of these degrees matter. You don’t even need to go for a writer’s surgery or take a writer’s pill (if there’s such thing) to become a writer. To be a writer—you only need to have the guts to write what others are thinking or imagine what others could be thinking and write it. That’s all you need to become a writer. Any other thing is just a plus. Got it? Good. Go now and write.

“Realize deeply that the present moment is all you ever have.” –Eckhart Tolle

It’s true that this present moment will be gone and never come back again. That today will be gone and tomorrow will eventually become another today. But one day, everything will be gone and there’ll be no day left. The point here is not the continuation of days or the end of it, but what one has achieved or done in those days, those free present moments.

This is a hard lesson for me, because I’ve been stalling, getting stuck, and giving myself excuses that are not valid. I get stuck every time because I think there’s another day to do the work. There’s no abundant time at all. All I ever have is this present moment to do something that matters, to do good deeds, and make a difference in people’s lives. There’s no other time to start other than this present moment. If you think you’ll have this moment tomorrow, you’re kidding yourself.

So, stop stalling and start doing something right now. It doesn’t have to be something big as sometimes we get stuck thinking we have to do big things to make a difference, and we end up doing nothing at all. I know, for example, that I should be writing books, not updating Facebook status. I know, of course, that I should write more guest post and not reading more blogs. I get delight in thinking that there’s enough time, that there’s tomorrow, which has got me nowhere. Not anymore.

You and I need to do things with urgency of this present moment. Good or bad, it doesn’t matter. Do it now or never. This present moment will never come again, take advantage of it. What’ll you do or make of this present moment?

It was in the middle of my post graduate days in the university when a Seismic engineering lecturer gave his last lecture to all the soon-to-graduate students. As the lecturer informed us that today would be his last lecture with us, all the students gazed to his direction and listened attentively.

“Today’s lecture is the last lecture I will have with you,” he said. “But I have a beneficial advice for you all,” he added. Most of you are studying civil engineering because your friends are, most of you are in this lecture hall today because your parents said you should be here, but it’s not too late now to decide your own future and follow your dreams and passion. Because not all of you will become engineers, not all of you will make it to the engineering industries, but most of you will make it if you do what you love and desire most.”

Photo Credit: Sherrys Soiledwings via flickr.com

After hearing him out, all the students gave him a standing ovation. We were all touched, but I think I was touched the most (in my own perspective). I felt like his advice was meant for me at the right time. I had wanted to be something else, not an engineer. I had wanted to be with the creatives because most times, during the lecture I read books on my phone. I enjoyed reading them and I had thought I would want to be a writer, somehow. I felt this is my call and I will do anything to share my ideas and write my stories for the world to learn from. What’s your passion? What do you enjoy doing? Follow your dreams and fight for it, because it’s never too late to do so.

These past weeks I have been so busy that the chance to put pen to paper was slim. Yet, I did. I wrote down some sentences on a receipt I collected from McDonalds. I had no pen and notebook with me. That’s how busy I was. So I asked for a pen and scribble some words on a receipt. This is how I have been writing for the past weeks.